Paper napkin or the like



Oct 30, 1928. a I 1,689,742

E. C. MORRIS PAPER NAPKIN OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l I I I l J p I I F10 i I I I I I I 1 jf'lmer Cj/lfozz s wa A j 7 2m azzzrn Oct. 30, 1928. V 1,689,74 I E..C. MORRIS PAPER NAPKIN OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 21. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hfiess. I! r (1%) 2'5.

v Patented Oct- 2 H nmnarc. moans, or cnrcaso, minors.

Pagan warm on. ran-Liza. I

Application fled August 21, 1925. Serial No. 51,571.

It is an object of my invention to provide an article of this class, particularly a folded paper napkin, having numerous non registering corners or edges which can be easily I grasped by the customer not only for removing from a spindle or dispenser, but for readily unfolding the napkin. Y

It is a further'object of my invention to provide a folded napkin that is folded from a rectangular blank with the creases normally disposed to each other and to the edgesof the blank so that the plies are given a rectangular shape, but of different areas and variously disposed in the ultimate article so that free corners of the plies, slightlyseparated but generally grouped, are located on an intermediate part of a face of the napkin.

' When a stack of such napkins is loaded in a container, they can be positioned so that a plurality of the corners register with the dispensing opening and provide loose corner tabs that normally tend to project through the opening to be readily seized by the user. Furthermore, with the napkins folded as indicated, the plies form in each a thick body part to impart stability to the napkin, so that they can. be readily handled. I They are stacked with the thick body parts in sequence arrangement, and when loaded into a container and pressure applied to the thick part of the stack, the pressure tends to project the corner tabs through the dispensing opening.

Also, the thick bod provides a substantial part to be impaled on a spindle without tearing. I

In addition to the foregoing, the rectangular shape of the plies and the creases normally disposed to each other and to the edges of the plies, permit a folding operation where.- by napkins of various sizes can be folded on the same machine. If the plies and ultimate article were of a shape other than rectangular, the creases could not bemade at right angles to each other and to the edges of the plies, a-difli'erent machine or a complicated adjustment of the same machine, would be required to fold napkins of different sizes.

The above and other features of novelty, advantages and capabilities will become apparent from a detail description of the ac-'v companying drawings, in which I have illus trated certain embodiments of my invention.

However, it will be understood that these drawings are illustrative only and do not define the limits of my invention.

In the drawings I have shown folded napklIlS of different final forms all manufactured from a slngle sheet, each, however, embodying my invention. Generally stated, so far as my method of forming these napkins is concerned, the invention resides in the initial steps of first forming the napkin ofi center and subsequently tucking off center.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank of material folded in accordance with my invention to form a napkin'or similar article;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a stack of said articles folded and placed on a spindle;

Figure 3 1s a perspective view of a dispenser l kewise made 1n accordance with my invention and having therein the form of napkin shown in Figure 2;

Figures 4 and 5 are plan views, and Figure $3 a perspective view of modificationsembodymg my mvention. 1

Referring to the drawings in detail, the blank sheet of paper or other material to be used as a napkin or other article is of the desired or necessary size, which blank I have illustrated in Figure 1. This blank is first folded substantially off center, for eimmple, on the line 11 with the narrower art of the blank beneath'the wider part and t on tucked substantiall off center on the line 10, thus of this article or fold is that it provides numerous corners or edges to grasp when reaching for napkins on spindles. In the old type of quarter folded napkins they were not only formed, but tucked at the center, thus result ing in all four corners and edges being in registration and when stacked in a bundle such napkins were compact and great difliculty experienced in separately removing napkins from the s indles for the reason that there were no 0 set edges or corners for the customer to readily grasp by the thumb or finger, or otherwise, as a result of which in reaching for a napkin he would pick up several, thus resulting in a tremendous waste.

Moreover, with the blank formed and tucked ofl center as illustrated by Figures 1 and 2,

the napkin can be readily dispensed from a dispenser such as illustrated in Figure 3. The offset edge or end 12 when positioned in the dispenser 13 is opposite the oval shaped disin a large percentage of the cases the napkins are used by simply half unfolding, thus resulting in inefficient service as compared with my'form of napkin being formed and tucked 01f center, which can be readily and entirely opened flatwise. I

In Figures 4 and 5 the final form of the article dlfier's from that in Figure 2, but thesearticles embody and contain my invention for they are both made from a single blank such as illustrated in Figure 1 and in forming these folds the initial steps are to first form and tuck the napkin ofi:' center as heretofore explained, so that when the side wings 13 and 14 are unfolded there are various corners and non-registering edges to be easily grasped for completely unfolding the napkin. In Figure 6 the blank is first folded into a plurality of superimposed longitudinal folds and then tucked ofi center at 15 to provide an offset edge 16, which oflt'set edge is very important in dispensing such napkin from a dispenser such as shown in Figure 3, as it is sopositioned in the dispenser to register with the opening and flip out, for example as shown at 12, so as to be readily grasped by the customer. Another advantage in forming and tucking a napkin off center, such, for example as shown in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5, the same machine can be used to form and fold a 12 inch napkin as is used to form a 14 inch napkin,

thus eliminating the necessity of building different sized machines or adjustable machines for such pu ses. Also different sized napkins with th1s method can be folded so as to be dispensed from the same size dispenser, that is, the same dispenser used to dispense a 14 inch napkin can be used andutilized todispense a 12 inch napkin where my invent-ion is utilized.

From the foregoing description it will become readily apparent that my invention possesses all the advantages heretofore pointed out, as well as many other inherent features.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A'paper napkin or the like folded into a rectangular form with the u per final fold having one exposed corner lying within the perimeter of the other folds and two edges of said upper finalfold spaced away from the perimeter of the other folds by a substana thick body partto the fol ed napkin an also providing a plurality of separated corner tabs to facilitate handling of the napkin.

2. A paper napkin or' the like folded in rectangular form in a plurality of folds with the final upper fold narrower in one direction than the next 'fold and both these folds shorter in the other direction than the third and other folds, the corresponding edges of all the folds being parallel with each other and two edges of the final upper fold being spaced a substantial distance from corresponding edges of the third fold, the folds so disposed providing a thick body part to the foldednapkin and also providing a plurality of separated corner tabs to facilitate handling of the naptial distance,the folds so displosed providing kin 3. A paper napkin or the like folded into more than three folds with a final or upper fold having three edges coinciding with the three edges of a second fold but of unequal areas so that an edge of the second fold extends beyond the corresponding edge of the final or upper fold and a. third fold having three edges coinciding with three edges of the second fold with the remaining edge of the third fold extending beyond the corresponding edge of the second fold, the folds so disposed providing a thick body part to the folded napkin and also providing a plurality of separated corner tabs to facilitated handling of the napkins.

4. A folded paper napkin having a crease parallel to one edge of the sheet andoff-set from the center of the sheet, the area of the sheet being inwardly divided by the crease with the smaller area bounded on one side by the said edge so that this ed e is spaced back from the opposite edge of t e sheet and extends across the larger area after the crease is made and the folded form being folded on a second crease extending at right angles ion to said first crease, the folds so disposed providing a thick body part to the folded napkin and also providing a plurality of separated corner tabs-to facilitate the handling of the napkin.

5. Asquare paper napkin or the like folded into four folds, the upper or final fold having three edges coincident with three edges of the second fold, this fold being of less area than the second fold, the second fold having three edges coinciding with three edges of the third fold but the area of the second fold being less than that of the third fold, the fourth or lowermost fold being coextensive with the upper final fold" and extending bealso providing a plurality of separated corner I tabs to facilitate the handling of-the naipkin.

6. A paper napkin-or the like forme rectangular blank first folded ofi center with .a crease extending parallel to an edge of the blank to'form; lies of the same lengthfbut of ed ofi center witha crease at right angles to. the crease of the first folding to form two sets ofplies separated by the crease either-second folding, with one set of plies substantiallyshorter than the other set of pliesandfwith the outer ply of each set formed byjthe mar rower 1y of the first folding, the freecorner of t .e outer ply 0f the shorter s'et forming a loose tab spaced by a substantial margin from the side edges of the shorter set. and from the free end of the longer set, the pl ies so disposed providing a rectangularly-. =folded napkin having a plurality of separatedicorna kin,

.- A folded napkin comprising two sets of Jgethe'r from'a crease common to both sets and v snbstantiallyid' fierent widths, and then fold-T with one set lon er than the other, a substan ltial margin of t e longer set separating the 1m ends of the two sets; the plies of the shorter set, except the outermost ply, being of uniform width; said outermost ply being of a width considerably less than the width of the adjacent ply, providing at an intermediate part of the free end of the shorter set a free corner tab spaced from the free end of the longer set.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 111 name to this specification at Chicago, Ilhnois, this 5th day of August, 1925 ELMER C. MORRIS.

rectangular plies, said sets being folded to-' 

